At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, researchers are gathering, classifying, deciphering and, ultimately, translating massive amounts of clinical and tumor data into improved outcomes for cancer patients. HIDRA – the Hutch Integrated Data Repository and Archive – is an effort to combine research data from Fred Hutchinson’s laboratories with patient records from its Cancer Consortium partners (UW Medicine, Seattle Children’s and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance) to build a single database that helps researchers find important patterns. The first web-based user interface designed to query and visualize this wealth of data is Argos, which debuted in the summer as a pilot focused on brain tumor research and is being rapidly extended to other tumor types. Argos is developed by LabKey Software and built on LabKey Server, adding many exciting new capabilities to the platform.

Paul Fearn and Eric Holland will explain the goals of the Argos project, describe lessons learned during the development process, share challenges faced (and solutions implemented), and discuss next steps for this on-going initiative. They will also share their vision for how the HIDRA system will ultimately speed translational research and improve patient outcomes.

Speaker Bios

Dr. Holland’s research has centered around the development of genetically accurate mouse models of gliomas. He has used them to study the biology of these tumors, the way that they respond to current therapy, and the development of new methods for treating them. The Holland lab works at the intersection of multiple disciplines to address the molecular basis of brain tumors and develop new approaches to their treatment. The research focuses on developing mouse models of brain cancer that mimic the behavior of the disease in patients. Their work with mouse models has led to clinical trials in glioma patients. They also have developed imaging strategies to follow mouse brain tumors as they develop—a powerful system that is used to test promising new drugs with potential benefit for patients. Dr. Holland is senior vice president and director of the Human Biology Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, where he is also the director of Solid Tumor Translational Research—an initiative targeting solid tumors and spanning all divisions and disciplines. Dr. Holland is also an attending Neurosurgeon at the University of Washington Medical Center, director of the Nancy and Buster Alvord Brain Tumor Center at the University of Washington, and a professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery. He is a Board-certified Neurosurgeon specializing in the treatment of patients with gliomas.

Paul Fearn is Director of Biomedical Informatics at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC), focused primarily on the Hutch Integrated Data Repository and Archive (HIDRA) project for the FHCRC/UW Cancer Consortium. Previously, he was the Informatics Manager for the Department of Surgery and the Office of Strategic Planning and Innovation at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), where he initiated and led the Caisis project, an open-source system that is currently used at over 25 centers. Paul has a BA in Spanish from the University of Houston, biostatistics training from the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston, an MBA from the New York University Stern School of Business, and is a PhD Candidate at University of Washington Department of Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education. He has over 15 years of experience in cancer research informatics Baylor College of Medicine, MSKCC and FHCRC.